Brooks Thomas Nesbitt, a 37-year-old Canadian citizen from Ontario, was sentenced to 10 years and 1 month in federal prison for his central role in a sprawling international wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington handed down the sentence in Tampa, Florida, also ordering Nesbitt to forfeit assets and pay $14,511,754.05 in restitution to victims—money ripped from unsuspecting investors across the globe.
Nesbitt, who pleaded guilty in February 2020, oversaw offshore boiler rooms that used high-pressure sales tactics to con victims into buying worthless financial investments. From at least 2014 to 2019, he built and managed these fraud mills outside the United States, recruiting staff, training agents, and directing operations that targeted individuals in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and parts of Asia. The scam promised access to regulated stock markets—none of which existed.
Working in tandem with Mary Kathryn Marr, a key U.S.-based co-conspirator, Nesbitt funneled millions through a labyrinth of shell companies and U.S. bank accounts. Marr, alongside her partner Michel Marc Chateau, ran a network of ‘funnel accounts’ in Florida and elsewhere, laundering the stolen funds and shipping most of the proceeds overseas. In exchange, they took a cut—while victims were left with nothing but false promises and financial ruin.
The scheme netted approximately $14.5 million in total, with victims believing they were making legitimate investments. Instead, their money vanished into a global web of deception, routed through fake corporations and layered transactions designed to mask the crime. The Department of Justice says Marr and Chateau recruited Americans to open accounts, further embedding the fraud deep within U.S. financial systems.
Nesbitt was caught in January 2019 when Thai authorities arrested him at his residence in Hua Hin. After a successful extradition to the United States, he faced justice in a Florida courtroom. Federal prosecutors emphasized that no offshore hideout shields criminals from accountability. ‘This international fugitive thought he could hide from justice,’ said HSI Tampa Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Cochran. ‘He was wrong.’
IRS Criminal Investigation’s Special Agent in Charge Brian Payne called the takedown a triumph of interagency collaboration. ‘With Homeland Security and IRS Special Agents working together, this unique investigation showcases the power of combined federal agencies to topple a global financial fraud,’ Payne stated. ‘When crooks endeavor to rip off just one victim, they also damage the consumer confidence of us all.’
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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